Benghazi receives fuel shipment

Revolutionaries have received a fuels tanker yesterday into Benghazi, trade sources said, indicating the National Transitional Council is still able to secure vital fuel supplies despite a lack of financing.
The Liberian-flagged oil products tanker Fidias arrived yesterday, AIS Live ship tracking data on Reuters showed.
Industry sources said the tanker was carrying around 30,000-40,000 tonnes of diesel. Previously, the tanker was anchored off Malta for over a week and the source for the fuel was unclear, they said.
One industry source said the vessel was chartered by oil trading firm Vitol which has delivered regular shipments into east Libya for the past two months.
A Vitol spokesman declined to comment.
OPEC member Libya is reliant on fuel imports even during peacetime because of insufficient refining capacity. The war has since increased consumption of transport fuels like diesel and gasoline for military vehicles while a lack of crude feedstock has cut refinery output.
The NTC is forced to rely on western aid to pay for fuel shipments since money from oil exports dried up after it sold just one cargo, also through Vitol, in April.
Rebel oil minister Ali Tarhouni last month accused the West of failing to keep promises to deliver urgent financial aid, forcing the government to rely on payment extensions for fuels.
Since then, they received $100 million in financial assistance from Qatar but are still cash-strapped.
The approach of Ramadan in August could further test the ability of governments in both east and west Libya to stave off an energy crisis. Energy consumption in this period tends to rise because of additional demand for transport and cooking fuels such as diesel and liquefied petroleum gas.
Oil traders said fuel deliveries into west Libya have virtually halted in the past few weeks, with firms deterred by increasingly robust international sanctions and a more proactive NATO stance in diverting cargoes.